RMI TITANIUM Leader of union decries portion of defense bill

Boeing is expected to use as much as 4 million pounds of foreign titanium for the tankers.
THE VINDICATOR, YOUNGSTOWN
By CYNTHIA VINARSKY
VINDICATOR BUSINESS WRITER
WEATHERSFIELD -- A union leader at RMI Titanium says he's disheartened that Boeing Co. has won the right to use Russian-made titanium to produce 100 new tanker planes for the U.S. Air Force, despite a vigorous lobbying campaign by domestic titanium makers seeking to block the plan.
The $355.4 billion defense bill the House approved last week would allow Seattle-based Boeing to use foreign titanium in the fleet of commercial tankers it plans to build and lease to the Air Force as refueling tankers. New language was added to the bill, however, to prohibit using foreign titanium in future defense aircraft.
"It's a moral victory, yes. We got their attention," said Bob Shriver, president of United Steelworkers of America Local 2155 at RMI, referring to the new clause banning future foreign titanium use.
"But it's a small victory when I look around here and see 69 workers laid off this week out of 390 employees, and when we expect to be down the whole month of December. Our business is down all over. It should have been our people making those planes."
Only six of the 100 planes are already built, Shriver said, so the bill gives Boeing the right to buy nearly 4 million pounds of titanium from foreign suppliers.
Richard Leone, spokesman for Weathersfield-based RMI Titanium, was less adamant about the outcome. "Although this language does not give the specialty metals industry everything it requested, it is a step in the right direction," he argued.
Leone said the industry and union lobbying campaign raised awareness in the House and Senate about the negative impact the use of Russian titanium could have on the domestic titanium industry.
RMI is the second-largest domestic titanium maker.
A difference to industry
RMI officials have said Boeing uses about 40,000 pounds for each 767 jet, the model earmarked for the project. They said the titanium required for those jets would have made a significant difference to the domestic titanium industry, totaling close to 10 percent of the U.S. titanium production this year. RMI joined forces last month with its two largest titanium competitors and the Steelworkers union to organize a lobbying campaign.
They argued that Boeing's plan to use Russian titanium for the planes violated a Buy American law, the Berry Amendment, which generally requires that American materials be used in aircraft, ships and weaponry made for the United States military.
Locals 2155 and 2155-7, which represent mill workers, clerical and technical workers at RMI, sent out more than 7,000 letters to 26 federal lawmakers. Employees also conducted a telephone campaign, and RMI officials visited personally with several key legislators in Washington, D.C.
vinarsky@vindy.com